Dispensing device for multiple cylindrical slugs of air treating gel



June 28, 1960 c. B. WENNER EI'AL 2,942,786

DISPENSING DEVICE FOR MULTIPLE CYLINDRICAL SLUGS OF AIR TREATING GEL Filed 001;. 17, 1957 %aza w ATTORNEY 2,942,786 Patented June 28, 1960 U i d St Pat n nrsrENsiNG Dn'vrcnrou MULTIPLE CYLINDRI- CAL SLUGS or AIR TREATING GEL Filed Oct. 17, 1957, Ser. No. 690,795

Claims. (Cl. 239-35) This invention relates to a vaporizing dispenser for air treating gels, and the like, adapted for mounting on a wall or other vertical support. More particularly, the invention relates to a dispenser of the class described providing storage for a plurality of bodies of air treating gel in a manner to introduce them individually into an evaporation chamber having controllable means for circulation of air therethrough, and wherein indicator means is provided to signal when the last stored body of gel has been transferred to said vaporization chamber.

In the introduction of volatile air treating agents into air, superior results are obtained when employing an air treating formulation in solidified or gel form. Such air treating gels have been disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,691,615. It has also been found, as disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,733,956 granted to one of the present applicants, that superior performance in in- 'troducing air treat-ing agents into air from a gel type of product, is obtained when the gel is employed in the form of elongated cylindrical bodies supported horizontally in a storage chamber to drop individually through a restricted opening to a volatilization or vaporization chamber. The restricted passage between storage chamber and volatilization chamber serves to support the stored gel slugs until the lowermost gel slug has become shrunk or reduced in size due to emission of volatilizable material from the exposed surface thereof sufiicient-ly to permit its passage through the restricted opening.

The present invention is concerned with a new and improved type of dispenser for air treating gels, and the like, embodying the basic principles of drop-through feed of gel slugs from a storage chamber to a volatilization chamber as above mentioned, but wherein the de- 'vice embodies unique features providing for use as a relatively tamper-proof walldispenser which can be adjusted to provide suitable or desired volatilization rates, and which also provides means, by external examination, to ascertain whether the device is in need of a fresh supply of gel slugs.

Novel features of the invention will readily be apparent from a consideration of the following description taken together with the accompanying drawing in which various parts of the device are identified by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of the device;

' Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical'section substantially on the line 2.-2 of Fig. l; i

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the mountingplate portion of the device as shown in Fig. 2, seen in the direction of the arrows 3-3;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the assemblage shown in Fig. 2, substantially along the line 44 as seen in Fig Fig. 5 is a fragmentaryview of the assemblage shown in Fig. 2, taken substantially along the line 55 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the assemblage shown in Fig. 2, taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

' The wall dispenser as shown in the drawing is of simple and practical construct-ion embodying six readily formed and easily assembled parts, which can be fashioned from various materials, but which are particularly adapted for molding from various plastic materials. Preferably the device comprises an outer casing part 10 having close peripheral engagement with a mounting plate 11, and readily attachable and detachable with respect thereto as hereinafter described. The mounting plate 11 in turn carries a gel holder 12 defining an upper storage chamber 13 for cylindrical bodies 14 of air treating gel, and a basket member 15 for receiving partially spent bodies of gel 14' in a volatilization zone or chamber 16.

As seen in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the side walls 17 of the casing 10, as well as the top wall 18, and bottom wall 19 thereof, are tapered outwardly in a manner to provide a smooth, attractive appearance in the device while at the same time facilitating molding thereof. In this connection, it will be noted that side openings 20 in the casing or cover part 10 providing circulation of air to the volatilization chamber 16 can, by reason of the outward taper of the side wall 17, be fashioned by protruding members of a mold part employed to form the outer surface of the casing or cover 10.

The front wall 21 tapers outwardly from top to bottom as seen in Fig. 2 of the drawing at an angle substantially parallel to an inwardly protruding inclined surface 22 on the mounting plate'll. The spacing of the front wall 21, and inclined surface 22, provide ,in the chamber 13 a dimension closely conforming to the diameter of cylindrical gel slugs 14 for which the device is intended. In alignment with the volatilization chamber 16, the front wall 21 has an inwardly ofiset portion 23 provided with apertures 24 leading to the volatilization chamber 16.

' bearing members 26 at opposed inner sides of the bottom wall 19, engaging corresponding concave bearing members 27 at opposed lower corners of the mounting plate 11, as seenvparticularly in Fig. 4 of the drawing. It will be noted that abutting surfaces of the bearing members 26 and 27 are in engagement through an arc, or partial cylindrical curvature of approximately 90, and are located upwardly and forwardly of the center of curvature thereof. It will be evident that after limited outward tilting movement of the outer casing part 10, the outer casing part can bedisengaged from the mounting plate 11 by slight downward movement to separate the bearing surfaces 26, 27. V

When the outer casing part 10 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, having close peripheral engagement with the mounting plate 11, it will be evident that the interengagement between bearing surfaces26 and 27 forms a positive' lock preventing outward movement of the lower end of the casing 10. The upper end of the casing 10 is secured to the base plate by a lock element 28 protruding forwardly of the base plate, and engaging detent means 29 in the top wall 18 of the casing. A slit or aperture 30 is provided in the top wall 18 in alignment with the lock member 28 to permit insertion of a suitably shaped key, or the like, in order to depress the lock member 28 when it is desired to remove the outer casing 10. The aperture 30 can be shaped to receive any sharp instrument, or if desired, can be specially shaped to receive a particular type of insertable key, thusrendering the device more fully tamperproof. I

The mounting plate 11 has at the lower extremity of portion thereof for supporting bodies of air treating gel in alignment with said apertures.

2. A wall type diffusing device as defined in claim 1 wherein the gel support and basket means comprise part8 detachably coupled with said mounting plate.

3. A wall type difiusing device as defined in claim 1 wherein the mounting plate above said gel support is slightly inclined rearwardly, whereby a plurality of cylindrical gel slugs can be retained by said gel support without contacting said casing.

4. A wall type diffusing device as defined in claim 3 wherein the inclined portion of said mounting plate includes a pivotally movable panel adjacent said gel support adapted to swing outwardly when no gel slug is on said support, and said pivotally movable panel being coupled with a signal element visible externally of said device when the panel is in its outwardly pivoted position.

5. A wall type diffusing device as defined in claim 4 wherein said signal element is a vertically reciprocating member at the rear of said mounting plate having an enlarged lower end normally concealed by said mounting plate and protruding to visible position when lowered by the outward swinging movement of said panel.

6. A wall type diffusing device as defined in claim 5 wherein the rear surface of said mounting plate includes guide means for said reciprocating member, and protruding portions of said vertically reciprocating member engage said guide means to limit downward movement of said signal element.

7. A wall type diffusing device as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for detachably securing said casing to said mounting plate includes a spring lock on said mounting plate engaging detent means at the upper portion of said casing, and undercut means at the lower portion of said mounting plate interfitting with upwardly protruding means at the lower portion of said casing.

8. A wall type diffusing device as defined in claim 7 wherein said interfitting means comprises'a convex bearing on said casing and a concave bearing on said mounting plate of substantially quarter-cylindrical contour disposed above and forwardly of the axis of cylindrical curvature, whereby engagement and disengagement of the casing with respect to said mounting plate is possible only when the top of said casing is in an outwardly swung position with respect to said mounting plate.

9. A wall type ditiusing device as defined in claim 1 wherein inner side walls of said casing are provided with horizontally disposed channel members above and below apertures in said side walls for detachably and adjust ably receiving baffie means restricting the effective size of said apertures.

10. A wall type diifusing device as defined in claim 9 wherein the upper of said channel members are in substantial alignment with the lower portion of said gel support, and said gel support is in the form of a three-sided loop detachably coupled with said mounting, plate, the ends of said three-sided loop being'spaced apart to receive the length of a predetermined cylindrical gel slug, and the side of said loop opposed to said mounting plate being inclined sufficiently and spaced from said mounting plate to support a fresh gel slug with the lowermost portion thereof above the bottom of said gel support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 837,479 Lazar Dec. 4, 1906 1,393,964 Potts et a1. Oct. 18, 1921 1,919,605 Swallow July 25, 1933 2,733,956 Wenner Feb. 7, 1956' 2,794,676 DAgostino June 4, 1957 

